Students arrested at Cape Cod Tech protest

Students held a sit-in protest at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich early Friday morning, and the event led to the arrests of at least two students.

Staff reports

Students held a sit-in protest at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich early Friday morning, and the event led to the arrests of at least two students.

A Facebook page set up by students said the "silent sit-in” demonstration was meant to call attention to what they say is heavy-handed disciplinary treatment of students by some teachers and school administrators.

Several students and parents outside the school while the protest was going on said more than 400 of the school’s 600 students were participating in what began as a peaceful protest. They said many of the grievances were directed toward Dean of Students Paula Maxwell.

A heavy police presence was visible outside the school, and police on the scene told a news photographer the facility was “locked down.”

At mid-morning, an administration secretary said that classes had resumed, but neither the school superintendent, the dean nor the principal were available to comment. Harwich police also would not comment on or confirm the arrests.